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Emma Donoghue herself admits that one of the biggest challenges she faced while writing was the contrast between light and dark themes. Personally, I think she did a fantastic job, but it must be recognized what the purpose of these themes were. These 7 scenes/events in the book stand out to me, as each shows either an important aspect of the characters, or highlights an issue that the characters are facing.
Light:
Jack's happiness with a string of eggshells show that living in a "bubble" like Room is beneficial for his mind; teaching him to be grateful for the littlest of things. Jack's escape from Room allowed him to unlock his life's greatest potential and opened up his horizons drastically. Meeting his relatives, like his Grandmother, Steppa, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, and cousin helped Jack find a connection to the "Outside" that lessened the pull of his want for Room. When Jack and Ma get their new apartment, there is no question that this shows improvement in their situation. They go from living in and 11x11 foot room to a place that can house them properly. When moving in, Jack learns to let go of the troubled traditions he was used to. He asks Ma to visit Room one last time, leaving it after saying goodbye to the things he held close for the first 5 years of his life. "Good-bye Room." I wave up at Skylight" (Donoghue, 321). I included happy images like a bunny, which represents Ma's hopes for escape, and a house to represent the first proper home that Ma and Jack will make their own.
Dark:
As I have stated in previous blogs, Donoghue tackles some pretty dark themes. She includes sexual assault, kidnapping, and suicide in her writing. I thought that the Jeep incident started the poor conditions of Jack's life. This action cause Ma to be a victim of domestic violence once more, and it caused Old Nick to turn off the power for a few days. Ma and Jack struggled to keep alive, surviving off of "slimy vegetables" and each other's body heat. After escaping, Ma struggled to deal with the new pressures she was put under; leading her to attempt suicide with the pills in her room. Luckily, she was able to recover from this, but during her recovery Jack was left alone to discover new things about the world. Without his mother Jack really struggled to get a grip on reality. Once they were reunited this changed, and I think the dark themes that were included helped give the purpose a broader and more powerful impact.
The bottom two images (a brain and an outline of Earth) are representing what benefits Jack got from the light and dark aspects of his story. The tough times he faced built resilience within him, leading him to be more stable and strong in his brain capabilities. His new experiences and new "friends" helped Jack learn about the big world around him, and he was able to prepare himself for the new and imminent life he was to start living. Overall, the book needed both the light and the dark; it's what made me love it so much.
Peace out Room, I have loved you and I will miss you. <3
WOW Julia, I love the infographic! I think it really shows how not only the light and dark are presented chronologically throughout the text, but also how both ideas add to a summation of the book as a whole. Most notably, you show this through just the basic layout of the graphic itself--top to bottom, and then the brain and house at the end to show what each part adds up to. Additionally, your analysis is very well written! I was wondering if you thought this balance was better shown throughout Room than, say, Frankenstein, another novel that carried these two ideas. Then again, you note how the book balances light and dark well. Do you think that if Donoghue chose to use one more than the other, that the novel would have been different overall? Really nice work overall; the graphic is aesthetically pleasing and simple to understand. One thing that may be an issue is that even if you click on it in a new tab, it's still a bit difficult to read :-/ but really, awesome work!
ReplyDeleteWow. Just wow. I thought nobody would do the infographic, as it is a lot of work and can become complicated. However, this is amazing! The theme of light and dark is a great approach, as the story has sweet family elements combined with the dark story of kidnap. The visuals make the infographic appealing and interesting, and it follows the story nicely. You did a great job explaining the plot and what each scene means to the story. The incorporation of quotes made it feel as though I was reading a project done by the author. The symbolism of Jack and his eggshells shows the importance of the point of view, as he is leaving the Room which is all he has ever known. I like how the images connected to themes, such as the bunny being a symbol of hope for Ma. This infographic gave a nice overview of the story, and leaves me wanting to read the book. Great job!
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